Shashikant Padalkar

Advaita Shashikant Padalkar

This is a companion volume to the Author's previous text on Advaita Vedanta - the traditional Hindu philosophy of non-dualism. Both volumes are independent texts though the present volume is more focussed on theology. It uses a different approach to make the text more accessible to the uninitiated reader. In one way this approach is more traditional because it uses a 15th century text to present a traditional line of Advaita with all its distinguished marks. It however, expands on this traditional line through digressions. It offers new interpretations or introduces new concepts without violating the traditional positions. This 2nd edition retains the narrative of orthodox Advaita of the 1st edition along with its contemporary reading, but extends its scope. This extension comes not only by way of adding few digressions & notes, but also comes in the form of two new chapters. One of the chapters discusses the new Integrated Information Theory (IIT) of consciousness in light of Advaita theology. Another chapter discusses Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC) in comparison with Kalpa theology and single soul theory of Advaita schools. With this new content the book is expected (a) to serve as an introduction to Advaita theology with its extensions into social justice and value systems, and (b) to place Advaita in the modern philosophical discourse of consciousness, cyclicity, and aggregation.